Louis XIV used art to glorify his absolute power and greatness. The antiques and furniture from the Louis XIV era reflect order, control, brilliance, and balance through strictly symmetrical designs. Exerting absolute power over his country and the arts, the King was considered the founder of French works. Inspired by antiquity, classicism became synonymous with the style.
Under the aegis of the Sun King, the artists created an official art in the royal manufactories: in the Gobelins and Beauvais tapestry workshops, the Royal Manufactory of Crown Furniture, and the mirror manufactory of Saint Gobain. Inspired by classical art, the ornamental repertoire was re-employed. New motifs emerged: mascarons, foliage, acanthus leaves, shells, and palmettes. Boulle marquetry is associated with furniture from the Louis XIV era.
